Outside this Castle
by Arima Yukino
Summary: Quatre receives a chilling threat, but what will happen after he receives the second? Will he stay alive long enough to find the answers? **rating due to hints of yaoi and some language**


Disclaimer: Blar blar, I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters in this story. No suing, because it's just really old. And I'm poor a senior in high school, so you KNOW I'm poor. All my money goes to everything else but my wallet.

A/N: This is a yaoi story featuring 2x4(Duo x Quatre). This is my favorite pairing and it's so not cannon. If you don't like yaoi or this pairing, then don't read it. Don't waste time flaming either, because it's a waste of time and you could be doing something else. And don't sue me about this, either. Just read the disclaimer. This is also my first yaoi fic, so don't be so harsh on me, oke? _O

**Outside this Castle**

            "Oh, it's you again," Quatre said as he got up from his desk, wiping his brow with a hand. 

            Duo grinned as he shut the door behind him and made his way over to Quatre. "Hey, no need to get up! It's just me, seeing how you were doing."

            "Thank you." Instead of resuming his seat, he motioned for Duo to the room next door. "This office just doesn't seem like the place for you to be in."     

            "Excuse me?" said Duo, sounding offended.

            Quatre just grinned. "I'm just playing, you know that. Anyone can pretty much come into this office, and I would rather not have someone just walk in on us."

            "I see." Duo opened the door and made his way into the next room. There, the atmosphere seemed a lot less tense and he felt very comfortable in here. He took a seat in one of the chairs and waited as Quatre took the seat across from him, setting a silver tray down on the table between them. 

            "Have some tea, Duo, you must be thirsty after a long journey," he offered.

            Duo took the cup he offered graciously. "It wasn't that long of a journey. I was only at the little colony below this one. You know, the one you now own." 

            Quatre smiled weakly at Duo's wide grin. His head was hurting more than before…he had been working too hard. Staying up late every night wasn't his idea of fun, but there were stacks of paper work on his desk, and he had to attend so many conferences and set up meetings…there just didn't seem to be time for anything, not even for eating. 

            Duo took note at the paleness in Quatre's face, the dark circles under his eyes, and how his cheeks sunk in. His clothes seemed to be really loose on him, too, not fitting perfectly like when he last saw him. He sipped the tea from the delicate cup in his hands, and cleared his throat. "When's the last time you got a decent night of sleep?"

            Quatre looked at Duo, his eyes looking very tired and dull, the bright light that used to glow was now dead. Lack of sleep, no doubt. He was surprised Duo noticed his change…even he had barely noticed. If it wasn't for the fact that his clothes were now way too big, he wouldn't have noticed how bad the changes were. 

            "Quatre…when was the last time?" Duo asked again, his voice mixed with concern and worry.

            "I get plenty of sleep," Quatre lied. A flat out lie. Last time had been last month. He had been throwing in a couple of hours each day or a little more when he had the time. There wasn't any time for him. Now with the war over and his father dead, he was the one to rule the colony, and to keep its prosperity. It wasn't an easy task, especially with the costs of rebuilding the colony after the devastation left by the war. 

            "I guess plenty of sleep leaves circles under your eyes," Duo said, not buying Quatre's word. 

            "I'm just stressed, that's all." Quatre looked down. "I'm just too busy nowadays. I have no time to play around, Duo. I have to get this done. That's why I don't visit any of you."

            "The others have been wondering about you…you know that even with the war over, we still like to see each other. We've been through a lot together…" Duo leaned over, leaning close to Quatre, who was sitting back in his chair.

            "Yes, I know. But right now, this is my top priority. The war has costs of damage so high and I have to find out how to budget the money to pay for everything. I also owe money for that colony that I…I…"

            Duo sat there, mouth parted slightly as Quatre's face suddenly contorted with pain and agony, his hand covering half his face. He didn't know what to do or say. He knew to never bring up what Quatre had done…sure, he had killed many with his own hands, but Quatre had done the worst thing with a single shot. 

            "Quatre…it's ok…," Duo managed to say. It sounded really lame, but that's all he could say. What else could he say? I know how you feel? No, he didn't. He never blew a colony up and killed every single soul on that colony like Quatre did. It wasn't completely his fault, but Quatre had taken complete blame for it and carried the guilt with him.

            "No, it's not…I did it…I killed them…all…," Quatre cried.

            "It wasn't your fault…you know that. We all do. And we don't hold any grudges against you, either, so don't worry about it."

            Quatre looked at Duo, his eyes filled with tears and red. A tear slid down his cheek as he blinked quickly to try and clear his eyes. "I guess so…I'm sorry to cut you short, but I do have a lot of work left to do before the day ends. I have a conference to attend in an hour and I must gather the paperwork for it."

            "I understand. Don't work yourself too hard." Duo stood up.

            Quatre stood up and led Duo back out to his office and to the door. He smiled weakly once more. "Thanks for visiting. Give the others my regards…and do let them know I'm well."

            "I will. Get some rest for a change, all right? You're not fooling anyone."

            "I have no idea what you're talking about," Quatre said, his smile vanishing.

            Duo gave Quatre a light sqeeze on the shoulder. "Take care."

            Quatre watched as Duo opened the door and closed it gently behind him. He felt his knees give out under him and he fell to the floor. He grabbed his head. "He's right…but I have no time for rest…I have to get this all settled as soon as possible…father wouldn't waste a minute…no…not at all…"

            He slowly pulled himself up and stumbled to his desk, sitting in his chair and letting out a huge sigh. "Father…I'm sorry…I'll get this deal done and settled. Then we can have peace…like you wanted."

***

            "How was Quatre?" Trowa asked.

            Duo took a seat across from him. Heero sat next to Trowa, Wufei was leaning against the wall, as usual. He leaned back, noting the chairs Heero kept were very comfy. 

            "Duo…how was he?" Trowa repeated.

            "Not so great," Duo admitted. He didn't want to tell them, because he knew Quatre wouldn't like the idea of them pouncing on him for doing this to himself, but he had to tell the truth. Those three in the room could easily tell if he were lying. 

            "What do you mean?" Trowa asked suddenly, leaning forward.

            Duo bit his bottom lip nervously. His eyes darted to Heero, who sat calmly, as usual, his eyes locked on him, then they darted to Wufei, who continued to lean, and he looked over slightly at Duo. "W-well…"

            "I knew you shouldn't have been the one to go," Trowa said, sounding slightly angry.

            "Trowa, calm down," Heero said. 

            "Sorry…," Trowa mumbled, sitting back once again. 

            "He's very sick looking…doesn't look like the Quatre we once knew…," Duo began. He could picture the little blonde boy in his mind. He looked fragile…even then. He didn't understand then, how a boy that small and fragile could be a Gundam pilot. But after seeing what that innocent boy had done, he knew he had misunderstood him. 

            "What do you mean…?" Heero asked.

            "For one, he's a lot paler than before. Very sickly looking color…think he'd was dead if he wasn't breathing and walking around. He has very dark circles under his eyes like he hasn't slept in weeks…and his clothes…they fit way too loosely. It's like he's lost ten pounds, I'm serious."

            The other three were quiet. This certainly didn't sound like Quatre. It was like talking about someone completely different. 

            "He's overworking himself. I don't know how long his body will hold out before he kills himself," Duo said quietly. He remembered how slowly Quatre walked, how his hands shook oddly and his legs struggling to keep the weight up. It made him feel sick to picture it in his mind again. He remembered that Quatre didn't even touch his tea.

            "There's something else you're not telling us," Wufei spoke up suddenly.

            Duo's eyes shot to Wufei. His face felt hot. He was caught red-handed, keeping secret what he had seen with Quatre. How could he tell them that Quatre was still acting like he had just blown that colony up five minutes ago? It would make them rush over to Quatre's and make him upset, both at them and Duo himself. He didn't want to feel Quatre's hate. He cared too much about Quatre…he didn't want to hurt the one he cared the most about.

            "Duo…," Wufei said, getting his attention.

            "O-oh, sorry," Duo said quickly. "I forgot to let you know he said to give you guys his regards."

            The three just stared blankly at him. It was obvious they didn't think that was the only thing he had to say. 

            "Duo…start talking now…or we'll go to Quatre and find out ourselves," Heero threatened as he stood up.

***

            The conference was over, and Quatre couldn't be anymore relieved. His concentration could hardly grasp anything that was said, and his head hurt even more. He loosened the tie around his neck. He was having a hard time breathing lately. "I hope I'm not coming down with something…," he whispered as he made his way outside.

            He was making his way to his limo when someone touched him on the shoulder. He turned his head around to see Relena Peacecraft. "Hello, Miss Relena," Quatre said quickly and managed a smile.

            She didn't return his smile. Instead, she quickly placed a hand on his forehead and gasped. "You're warm. You're getting a fever. What on earth have you been doing?"

            "Just setting deals and businesses straight, that's all. I have debts to pay, as well," Quatre said. 

            "You need to rest. Don't think any of us there didn't notice that you looked pale as a ghost and as thin as a stick. Or that we didn't notice the very dark circles under your eyes."

            Quatre tried to avoid looking at her. He was guilty, and he knew it. He knew Duo noticed the circles, and he was pretty sure Duo also took note on his paleness and thinness. He just didn't say anything. "I'm getting enough rest. The stress is just getting to me…"

            "I suggest you take a couple of days off. The world won't come crashing down on you if you put your work aside for a while. Without a clear mind, things won't get done faster," she said. 

            "I know, you're right. I should do that. Thank you for your concern," Quatre said.

            "I'll even come and check on your myself to make sure you're doing so!" She patted him on the back and walked over to her limo.

            He climbed into his own limo and rested his weak body in the soft leather seat. His back was aching and the throbbing headache wouldn't go away, not even after taking some medicine to get rid of it. He did need rest…but he didn't want to put it off. He wanted to make his people happy…he wanted happiness on his colony. He wanted to bring it to them, and he would make sure of that. The sooner, the better. 

            "Sorry, Miss Relena, I can't carry out your wish…This is for my people, not me," Quatre whispered quietly as he grabbed the headsets in the limo and placed them on his ears. The soft melody of a piano and violin played in his ears. He felt his eyes flutter and then close as they played a beautiful yet mournful duet.

***

            "That nap was good," Quatre muttered under his breath as he walked down the hall to his office. He had to drop off the papers and briefcase. Then he would take a short break and grab a bite to eat. He hadn't eaten in three days, and his stomach was starting to eat itself up from hunger. Not even drinking could keep his hunger at bay for long. 

            He took the keys to the door out of his pocket and stopped in front of the door. He unlocked it and walked inside, flipping the switch for the lights on. Yawning loudly, he shut the door behind him and walked over to his desk. He set his briefcase down on his desk and opened it. He started to take the papers out and quickly thumbed through them.

            "A long process towards peace, but definitely worth it," he said, smiling. He set the stack back in the briefcase, shut it, and locked it. If anyone wandered into his room, they would certainly struggle to see what he had hidden. 

            Picking his keys up, he headed for the door again. It was then that he noticed something on the door that certainly had not been there earlier when he had left. He looked even closer, gasped in horror, dropping the keys to the floor.

***

            Heero groaned loudly as his phone rang loudly. He didn't remember when he had fallen asleep. All he remembered was Duo snoring loudly. He regretted sharing the same room with the long-haired boy. If he had known the boy's snores could reach the top of the Richter Scale, he would have roomed with Trowa or Wufei instead.

            Heero reached over and grabbed the phone. Duo's snoring ceased as he awoke. He, too, reached for the phone, missing it as Heero was too quick.

            "Hello?" Heero's voice hid no irritation at all.

            Duo yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes as the tears welled up. "Who is it?" he yawned.

            Heero strained his ears as he heard the little voice on the other end. It was filled with terror and he could tell they were finding the words to tell him something. "Who is this?" he demanded. "It's past midnight and I don't appreciate such calls…"

            "Heero…," the voice said, sounding weak. "It's me…Quatre."

            "What? Quatre?" Heero exclaimed loudly.

            Duo was now wide awake at the sound of Quatre's name. "What's going on?"

            Heero asked Quatre Duo's question. "You sound terrified."

            "Heero…I'm scared…I just got the nerve to finally call someone…"

            "What are you talking about?"

            "I got back from the conference three hours ago…but I couldn't find the voice to call you then. Heero…I'm scared…I'm scared…what should I do? What should I do?"

            "Quatre! Calm down! Tell me, what's wrong!"

            "Heero…someone's got a grudge against me…they left a note on my door…Heero, someone wants me dead."

A/N: I intended this to be a simple story without much depth and just plain 2x4 fluff. I instead, decided to drag this out into a few more chapters…keep an eye out for the next chapter! ^_~ (I know cliffhangers suck, but just bear with me.)


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